


Seize the Day

by Taeyeong (heybarackitsmejacques)



Series: Stray Conlon Seizes the Day [1]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: 1890s, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Trans Male Character, but not really, kind of spot/race if you squint, not mine, sequel will have more sprace, still don't really know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-08 00:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10374108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heybarackitsmejacques/pseuds/Taeyeong
Summary: [this is my friend's story - you can read it on Wattpad! username: @/elsa_jamie]Ethan was kicked out of the house because he felt like a boy in a girl's body. the only words for that were sodomite or hermaphrodite, and both of those were negative. Both of those he was called by the people he thought were family. Both of those he believed he was.Until he met Anthony "Racetrack" Higgins.{this story contains javid, and other boyxboy content, as well as my own OCs. it also revolves more around the strike than ethan, though he does play a role}[based on the 1992 Disney movie NEWSIES - copyright: characters and most of the plot belong to Disney]





	1. Meet Stray

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I know some of you have been waiting for updates on my other two stories (published under @nik_vandenburgh ) but I'm sorry. If the fact that I haven't updated either in, what, three years isn't clue enough, I'm just letting them die. I don't have the heart to take them down, but they're discontinued. Permanently. 
> 
> However, I do hope y'all like this story! It doesn't belong to me, but I have permission from the author (my friend Jamie) to cross-post it here! She originally published it on Wattpad under her and her friend's account @/elsa_jamie, go check them out!

_**Ethan's Point of View**_  
I rubbed my eyes, trying to stop my tears. 

_"You're a freak! A disgrace! Get outta my house and don't come back!"_

_"How could you do this to us Do you not love us anymore? Aren't you thinking of this family?"_

I ducked into an alleyway when I heard footsteps approaching, and sunk down to the ground, my back against a brick wall. I pulled at my newly (and messily) cut blond hair, tugged at my brother's too-big hand-me-downs. 

I had run all the way from Brooklyn, never looking back, never stopping to see if anyone had seen or followed me, never stopping to really care. 

"'Ey, what're ya doin' out here at this time a' night?" a voice asked. I looked up with a fright, wiping at my eyes furiously. "Whoa, you's all right?"

"I-I..." I tried to take a breath but almost hyperventilated. The boy, with his thick New York accent and betting slip in hand, rushed toward me. 

"Hey, s'all right, s'all right." He patted me awkwardly on the back. "Look, seems ta me like you's got nowhere ta go, c'mon wit me. I's got a nice place, and you'd like the others."

I nodded vaguely, standing up on shaky legs. 

"The name's Tony, but call me Racetrack," the black-haired boy told me. "Wha's yours?"

I swallowed, almost saying  _Elva_ by force of habit. 

"E-Ethan." I managed to get out the name my brother had given me before he left. 

"Well, dat ain't no good. You needs a newsie name if you's gonna be one a' the boys." Racetrack seemed to mull over his thoughts for a moment, before finally saying, "How 'bout Stray?"

I looked at him. 

"Y'know, I founds you alone out on the street. You's a stray."

I actually gave him a small smile. Then it disappeared as I thought of the reason I was even out here. My stomach dropped to my feet, but I knew I had to tell him. 

"Race?" I asked tentatively. He looked at me as we walked. It struck me how short he was; I wasn't very tall, but he still had to look up to meet my eyes. "There's somethin' you oughtta know 'bout me."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

I gulped down the lump in my throat.  _Seize the day, Ethan. Seize the day_. "I... I wasn't born a boy."

Racetrack blinked at me. "How d'ya mean?"

"I was born Elva." My voice dropped to a whisper. "But I ain't... I ain't  _her._ I'm a boy, I knows I am, but..."

I cut myself off with a sob, burying my face in my hands. 

"I'm a disgrace," I cried. Suddenly, there were arms around me, a hand at the nape of my neck. 

"Hey, shh, you's all right. You ain't a disgrace, Stray. There ain't nothin' wrong wit ya. You's different, but different ain't bad."

I sniffled, my tears soaking through Racetrack's shirt. 

"C'mon, Stray. You's a newsboy now." He ruffled up my hair, shoving his cap onto my head. I smiled lightly, wiping at my eyes again. Racetrack slung his arm around my shoulders, guiding me down the street to the newsboy lodging house. 


	2. The World Will Know

_**Racetrack's Point of View**_  
"Hey, Race," Jack's voice said behind me. I turned, and so did Stray. "Who's this?"

"This here is Stray. Hope you don't mind, but I figured he could use a family," I said. Stray gave Jack a wave. Jack smiled. 

"Yeah, sure, why not? How was your day at the track?"

"Remember that hot tip I told ya about?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded. 

"Nobody told the horse," I said as I walked into the lodging house. Stray giggled beside me. I slapped the top of my cap to push it down over his eyes. "Shuddup, you."

Jack chuckled. "Night, you's two."

"Night, Jack." I nodded, then looked at Stray. "C'mon, you can bunk wit me."

-

The next morning, I was woken up by chaos as per usual. Stray was still fast asleep beside me. He couldn't have been any older than fourteen, and I guess that was why I was soft on him. Plus that and his jerk family that kicked him to the curb. Nobody should have to go through that. Well, and I guess there was the fact that he reminded me off--

"Race! Who's the new guy?" Mush asked me, grinning in my face. I shoved him away. 

"Give a guy some room, wouldja?" I said, but there wasn't any bite behind it. "That's Stray."

The kid shifted in his sleep. 

"Yeah, well tell Stray we's go work to do, carryin' the banner!" Kid Blink called across the room. 

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, sitting up. I grabbed my cigar before Snipes could get his greedy hands on it and shook Stray's shoulder. "Stray, awke up."

He shifted again, then blinked one eye open. 

"Heya, sleepyhead." I slugged him in the shoulder. "We's gotta carry the banner. C'mon, I's got clothes you can wear."

-

"What do you mean, like a strike?" Davey asked Jack, obviously joking. Stray had become glued to Davey's side when we introduced them; they were both nerds it turned out. 

"Yeah, like a strike!" Jack exclaimed. The newsies shifted, uneasy about the idea. 

"Are you outta your mind?" I demanded. 

"It's a good idea!" Jack argued. 

"Jack, it was just a joke," Stray said. "We can't strike, we ain't gotta union."

"Yeah, but... if we  _go_ on strike, then we  _are_ a union, right?" Jack asked. Davey sighed. 

"No, we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money."

"Maybe if we got every newsies in New York, but..." Stray trailed off with a sigh, mimicking Davey's perfectly. 

"Yeah, well, we organize!" Jack jumped up. "Crutchy, you take up a collection!"

"Swell! Come on guys!" He took off his hat and held it out to us. 

"We get all the newsies in New York together," Jack continued, walking off. 

"Jack, this ain't a joke!" Stray called after him. 

"You saw what happened to those trolley workers," Davey added. 

"Yeah, well, that's anudder good idea. Any newsies don't join wit us, then we bust their heads in." Jack slammed a fist into his palm. We followed Jack, warming up to the idea. I slung my arm around Blink. 

"Stop and think about this, Jack," Davey begged. 

"All right! Lemme think about it." Jack paused in front of the Horace Greeley statue. "Listen, Dave and Stray--they's right. I mean, Pulitzer and Hearst and all dem other rich fellas... I mean, they own this city. So do we really think a bunch of street rats like us can make any difference? I mean, the choice has gotta be yours!"

I exchanged an anxious look with Mush. 

"Are we just gonna take what they give us, or are we gonna strike?" Jack threw his left hand in the air. 

"Strike!" Les shouted. 

"Yeah!" Bumlets yelled. Davey pulled Les back, shoving a hand over the younger boy's mouth. 

"Let's do it!" Blink called beside me. 

"Keep talkin', Jack. Tell us what to do," Boots said. 

"Yeah, come on, Jack," I said. 

"You tell us what to do, guys." Jack leaned in close to Stray and Davey, but locked eyes with the brunet. 

"We gotta stick together," Specs mumbled. 

Davey sighed, looked down, then back up again at Jack. 

"Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights," he finally said. 

"All right." Jack nodded. "Hey, listen! Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect the rights a' the workin' boys a' New York!"

"Yeah!" we all cheered. 

"That's right!" Jack turned back to Davey and Stray. "That went pretty good. So, what else?"

"Tell 'em..." Davey thought for a moment, and Stray took the opening. 

"Tell 'em that they can't treat us like we don't exist," he said. Jack gave the new kid a smile, then climbed up to the top of the statue. 

"Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'! Are we nothin'?!"

"No!" we shouted back. 

And so, the strike began. 


	3. David and Goliath

_**Davey's Point of View**_  
"We gotta get word out ta all the newsies in New York!" Jack shoved my shoulder. I smiled faintly. "I need some a' those... uh, whaddya call 'em?"

Jack waved his hands at me, trying to emphasize what he was getting at. I avoided getting hit in the face and replied with, 

"Uh, ambassadors?"

"Yeah! Right, you guys, you gotta be am-bastards, and go tell the others that we're on strike." 

I laughed, leaning up against the pillar of Pulitzer's building. Stray stood next to me with a fond smile on his face. 

"Say, jack, I'll take Harlem!" Blink called and turned to leave.

"Yeah, I got Midtown." Race followed after him. 

"I got the Bowery, Jack." Mush grinned. 

"Hey, I'll take the Bronx," Crutchy volunteered, taking another kid with him. 

"All right, Bumlets and Specs and Skittery, you take Queens," Jack assigned. "Pie Eater, Snoddy, East Side. Snipeshooter, you go wit 'em. Uh, so, what about Brooklyn? Who wants Brooklyn? C'mon, Spot Conlon's territory?"

I felt Stray stiffen beside me at Spot Conlon's name. The newsies shifted and looked away from Jack. 

"'Ey, c'mon, you scared a' Brooklyn?" Stray called out, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. 

"Hey, we ain't scared a' Brooklyn!" Boots yelled, then sobered up a bit. "Spot Conlon makes us... a little nervous."

"Well, he don't make me nervous," Stray said. "Whaddya say, Jack? You and me?"

"And Dave can keep us company." Jack grinned, throwing an arm around me. I rolled my eyes at him, but I was smiling too. 

"Sure, just as soon as you take our demands to Pulitzer," I told him. Jack's smile faded and he straightened up. I prided myself into making him uncomfortable. 

"Me, to Pulitzer?"

"Well, you're the leader, Jack," I teased. 

"Well, maybe the kid'll soften 'im up a little." Jack hooked an arm around Les and threw open the doors of Pulitzer's building. The newsies cheered, "Strike! Strike!" behind him. I walked down the steps, and a man came up to me. 

"Hey, what is this strike? What's goin' on?"

I shook Tumbler's hand, then responded. "Uh, we're bringing our demands to Pulitzer."

"What demands?" the guy inquired. 

"The newsies' demands. We're on strike," I said.  _So informative, David, good job._ Stray stood quietly at my side, eyeing the man up and down. 

"Huh. I'm with  _The New York Sun._ Bryan Denton." He stuck out his hand. "You seem like the kid in charge, what's your name?" 

_Me?_ I shook it. "David."

"David, as in David and Goliath?" Denton joked. I chuckled at the scarily accurate reference, glancing at Stray, who minutely shook his head.  _Okay, I get it. He doesn't trust this guy just yet._ "You really think Old Man Pulitzer's gonna listen to your demands?"

"He has too," I said, just as the doors came crashing open again and Jack and Les came tumbling out. 

"So's your old lady!" Jack yelled. "You tell Pulitzer he needs an appointment with  _me_!"

"Yeah!" Les shouted. The doors slammed shut. 

-

After our lunch meeting with Denton, Stray, Jack and I headed across the Brooklyn Bridge. 

"I've never been to Brooklyn, have you?" I asked the pair. 

"Been? It's my city!" Stray laughed. 

"You's from Brooklyn, Stray?" Jack looked mildly surprised. 

"Yeah, ran away from home." Stray stuck out his chest. "Watch this."

Jack and Stray leant over the edge and yelled down, laughing at the echo. 

"Well, so is this Spot Conlon really dangerous?" I asked. Jack laughed. Stray shrugged.  _Well, that bodes well for our future._  

We walked across the docks. Boys were jumping into the river and climbing back up to no end. One stopped right in front of us. 

"Goin' somewhere, Kelly?" He sneered. Jack walked right past him, but not without a nasty glare (and did Jack just check the guy out? I'm pretty sure his eyes raked up and down the other boy's body). 

"Well, if it ain't Jack be nimble, Jack be quick," a voice called. We looked up to see Spot Conlon. 


	4. Spot and Stray Conlon

**_Stray's Point of View_**  
 _Oh my god,_ I stopped dead in my tracks beside Davey. Then Spot jumped down right away, rushing over to us.

"Ethan? That really you?" he asked, his tone a lot gentler than before. My hands were over my mouth and I was almost in tears, but Brooklyn kids don't cry in front of each other.

"Sean," I choked out. Then I was running toward the infamous King of Brooklyn, and throwing my arms around him. He hugged back almost immediately, briefly dropping his tough-guy façade. "I thought I'd never see you again! When I heard the name Conlon, I thought it must be a coincidence, but it's you, it's really you!"

"Hey, kiddo." Sean smiled and ruffled my hair. Jack stood in stunned silence next to Davey, not that Davey was much different.

"Uh..." Jack said real intelligenctly. "Someone cares to explain?"

Spot pulled away from me, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Boys, this is my little brother Ethan Conlon."

I grinned broadly. Davey and Jack were absolutely gobsmacked. Sean chuckled.

"So you's go by Stray now? And you's a 'Hattan newsie, huh?"

"So you's go by Spot and you's da King a' Brooklyn?" I countered. Sean laughed.

"Well, boys, I suppose you did come on business, didn't ya?"

Jack straightened up, seemingly remembering the whole reason we were there. "Yeah, yeah we did."

"And I think I know what it's 'bout." Sean pulled a slingshot from his waistband and a marble from his pocket. He eyed a beer bottle up high on the pier; Davey jumped out of the way nervously. "Jackie-boy, I been hearin' things from little birds."

"Yeah?"

"Things from Harlem, Queens." Sean shot the marble straight through the beer bottle, shattering it. He tucked the slingshot back into his waistband. "All over. They're chirpin' in ma ear. Jackie-boy's newsies is playin' like they goin' on strike."

"Yeah, well we are," Jack said.

"But we're not playin'," Davey cut in. Sean's eyes were softer when he looked at me then when he looked at Jack and Davey. "We are goin' on strike."

Sean looked him dead in the eyes.

"Oh, yeah? Yeah? What is this, Jackie-boy, some kinda walkin' mouth?"

I stifled my laugh. Davey gave me a look. I shrugged noncommittally.

"Yeah, it's a mouth." Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder. "But a mouth wit a brain. And if you got _halfa_ one--"

"--you'll listen to what he's gotta say," I finished. Sean pursed his lips, leaning against a crate. "Go on, Davey."

"Well, we started the strike, but, uh... we can't do it alone, so we've been talkin' ta other newsies all around the city."

I noticed how Davey's perfect diction started to slip as he hung around us more and more.

"Yeah. So they told me. But what did they tell you?"

"They're waitin' ta see what Spot Conlon does--that you're the key." Davey was gaining confidence by the second. Sean shifted with a silent chuckle. "That Spot Conlon is the most respected and famous newsie in all a' New York."

Jack grinned behind Davey.

"And probably everywhere else. And if Spot Conlon joins the strike, then they'll join, and we'll be unstoppable. So you gotta join us, because--well, you gotta."

"You're right, Jack--brains." Sean stood once more. "But I got brains too, and more than just halfa one. How do I know you punks won't run the first time some goon comes atcha wit a club? How do I know you got what it takes ta win?"

"'Cuz I'm telling ya, Spot," Jack said. I put my hand on Sean's arm.

"C'mon, Seanny-boy."

He pursed his lips again. "That ain't good enough, you two. Ya gotta show me."


	5. Cheese It, It's the Bulls!

**_Racetrack's Point of View_**  
"So, uh, where's Spot, huh?" I asked.

"Oh, he was concerned about us bein' serious," Jack replied. "You imagine that?"

"Well, y'know, Jack, maybe we oughta ease off a little bit, y'know?" I took a drag from my cigarette.

"Without Spot and the others, there's not enough of us Jack, y'know?" Blink added. Davey leant his arm on Mush's shoulder.

"Maybe we're movin' too soon, maybe we ain't ready, y'know?"

"I definitely think we should forget about it for a little while," Skittery noted. Jack looked deeply offended by what we were saying.

"Oh, do ya?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean, we're not Brooklyn," I said.

"Hey, who are we kiddin' here?" Jack asked incredulously. "Spot was right, is it just a game to you guys?"

We all started arguing at once. Stray whispered something in Davey's ear. He gave him a quick smile.

"Open the gates and seize the day. Don't be afraid, and don't delay. Nothing can break us, no one can make us give our rights away. Arise and seize the day!" he called out to us.

"Now is the time to seize the day!" Stray yelled. "Send out the call and join the fray! Wrongs will be righted if we're united, let us seize the day!"

"Friends of the friendless, seize the day!" they continued together. "Raise up the torch and light the way! Proud and defiant, we'll slay the giant, let us seize the day!"

"Neighbor to neighbor!" I hooked an arm around Stray's neck as the rest of the newsies chimed in. He gave me a grin. "Father to son! One for all, and all for one!"

"Open the gates and seize the day! Don't be afraid and don't delay! Nothing can break us, no one can make us give our rights away! Neighbor to neighbor! Father to son! One for all, and all for one!"

"Whoo!" Stray cheered. He jumped up onto my back. I laughed, cheering with the rest of the newsies. In the distance, we could hear the circulation bell ringing.

"Anybody hear dat?!" Jack yelled.

"No!" we shouted.

"So what are we gonna do 'bout it?!"

"Soak 'em!"

I set Stray down and we ran to the gates, laughing and shoving the whole way.

We surrounded the ramp that led to the distribution window. The first boy that came down looked back, then threw his papes down on the ground. We cheered as he joined our cause.

"Atta boy," Blink called. Specs ruffled his hair. The next two boys surrendered as well, but the fourth was trouble.

"Drop the papes," Jack said as calmly as Jack could be.

"He a newsie or what?" I asked Stray, who chuckled.

"Fellas, fellas." David tried to keep the peace, but we kept shoving the kid around because he wouldn't drop his papes. "Blink, c'mon. No, Jack, just don't--"

Jack knocked the kid's papes right out of his hands. When he reached down to grab them, he tackled Jack instead.

Chaos ensued. We tore up as many papes as we could, throwing tomatoes at the desk. Even Davey looked like he was having a little fun.

"Jack!" He grinned, latching onto the other boy's arm. Then all of a sudden, a whistle was blowing.

"Hey, it's the bulls! Hey, cheese it! Cheese it, it's the bulls!" Jack shouted, grabbing Davey's vest so he remembered to run. We all beat it like a bat outta hell as the bulls rode in. I turned back for a second, and my heart almost stopped.

"Whoa! Crutchy! Scram! Scram!" I yelled, then turned and kept going.

"Race! He ain't fast enough!" Stray exclaimed, tugging on my sleeve.

"We's gotta run, Stray!" I tried to pull him along, but her eyes were fixed on the gates, so I risked a glance as well. "Oh, no."

The Bulls had trapped Crutchy, and the Delancey brothers were closing in. They knocked Crutchy off his feet and dragged him away.

"Come on, let's go!" Mush placed a hand on Stray's and my backs and we were running again.


	6. King of New York

**_Davey's Point of View_**  
"All right, everyone remain calm," I said as we stared down the scabs.

"Let's soak 'em for Crutchy!" Jack yelled. _Why do I even bother?_

All the Manhattan newsies rushed the gates. But then the second pair of doors opened and Racetrack immediately backpedalled.

"Oh, Jack! Jack, it's a trick!"

I stared in horror at the gang of men armed with metal poles and chains.

"Hey Jackie-boy," Oscar Delancey mocked.

"Let's get outta here! Go!" Race yelled from somewhere. The guys surrounded Jack--he had nowhere to run.

Then all of a sudden, the Brooklyn newsies appeared on the rooftops.

"Nevah fear--Brooklyn is here!" Spot called with a smirk.

"It's Brooklyn!" Mush shouted with delight.

The Brooklyn newsies pulled back their slingshots and fired with perfect aim. Skittery was knocked off his feet. I asked him if he was all right; he gave me a wink and launched back up, punching the guy dead on in the jaw.

Spot opened the gates and the rest of Brooklyn came storming in, forcing the others out.

"Whoo-hoo!" Stray jumped up onto his brother's back. Spot grinned, throwing his arms up in the air.

"We did it!" Jack wrapped his arms around me. I could feel my face turning red, but I hugged him back.

_Shut up, feelings._

"Jack! Boys, freeze!" Denton called. He had a camera in front of him. I recalled Jack saying no pictures, but the thought must have fled his mind. "Freeze!"

-

"So what? You get your pitcher in the papes, what's that getcha, huh?" Skittery asked.

"Whaddya talkin' about, huh?" Mush shoved his shoulder.

"Shut up, boy, you been in a bad mood all day!" Jack exclaimed.

"I'm not in a bad mood," Skittery argued.

"Yeah, glum and dumb." Race slapped Skittery across the face. "What's the matter witchu? You're in the papes, you're famous! You're famous, you get anything you want!" He slammed his hand on the table. "That's what so great about New York!"

"A pair a' new shoes with matchin' laces," Mush said.

"A permanent box at Sheepshead Races." Racetrack grinned.

"A porcelain tub with boilin' water," Spot added.

"A Saturday night with the mayor's daughter!" Kid Blink joked (I think).

"Look at me! I'm the king a' New York!" Racetrack jumped up on the table, paper in hand. "Suddenly, I'm respectable, starin' right atcha, lousy with stature!"

He smacked Itey in the head with the paper playfully.

"Nobbin' wit all the muckety-mucks, I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe!" Jack grinned.

"And there I be! Ain't I pretty?" Race took the paper from Jack again.

"It's my city, I'm the king a' New York!" they yelled together.

We all cheered. I gave Jack another hug, and Denton one too. Stray was off to the side, whispering with Spot and Race.

"A newsie rally!" Jack said. "We'll make it the biggest, loudest, noisiest blowout this town's evah seen!"

"We'll send a message to the big boys," I added. We all laughed.

"There's a lot of us. We ain't goin' away." Jack lifted his glass. "We'll fight 'til damn doomsday if it means we get a fair shake."

"Hey, guys." I raised my glass. "To our man Denton!"

"Aww." Denton chuckled.

"To our man Denton!" the newsies cheered.


	7. Stop Soakin' the Scabs

**_Stray's Point of View_**  
I froze as Snyder strode into the lodging house. I grabbed Race's arm to get his attention.

"Can I help ya?" Mr. Kloppman asked him.

"You have a boy who calls himself Jack Kelly," Snyder said. "I wish to see him."

"Jack Kelly? Jack...?" Kloppman shook his head. "Never heard of him. Any a' you boys ever heard of a Jack Kelly?"

"That's an unusual name for these parts," Specs replied. I saw Jack coming in, and Swifty stopped him at the door.

"Oh, you mean _Jack_ Kelly," Race said, his voice cracking as he stood up. "Yeah, he was here."

_Race, what the hell are you playing at?_ I thought.

"But, uh, he put an egg in his shoe and... beat it." Race put his cigar in his mouth. Everyone laughed. While Snyder's back was turned, Jack rushed to the stairwell. But as Snyder leant over Kloppman's desk, Jack turned, mocking Snyder behind his back.

"I have reason to believe that he is an escaped prisoner, possibly dangerous."

"Oh, is he dangerous?" Kloppman asked. Jack put a hand to his chest and mouthed, _Me?_ incredulously. "I better look in my files. Come, this way, please."

Jack shuffled back toward the door, and Race and I held up our strike signs to block the blond's figure.

"Give to the newsie strike fund, mista?" Race asked. Snyder smiled that creepy smile of his and handed Race a coin. Kloppman took him into the back room after that.

I slugged Jack in the shoulder. "Beat it, Kelly!" I whisper-shouted. "Go sleep out on the Jacobses fire escape for all I care, but you ain't goin' back to the Refuge!"

Jack grinned and turned and left.

"Idiot," Race muttered.

-

We were all gathered at Irving Hall. Newsies from all over the city had shown up: Queens, West Side, Coney Island, Long Island, the Bronx, everyone.

Jack, Davey, Sean and I stood on the stage. Jack quieted everyone, then yelled out,

"Carryin' the banner!"

The crowd went wild.

"So! We've come a long way, but we ain't there yet, and maybe it's only gonna get tougher from now on! But that's fine--we're just gonna get tougher wit it! But also... also we gotta get smart and start listenin' to my pals, David and Stray--"

"Yeah!" a Manhattan newsie called out.

"--who say, 'Stop soakin' the scabs.'"

_Well, thanks, Jack, that'll make us popular_ , I thought, even though I knew this was our only chance to make them listen.

"What're we supposed ta do to the bums, kiss 'em?" Race sassed. I sent him a glare and he shrugged.

"Hey, look, any scab I see, I soak 'em, period," Sean cut in. The room (if you could call it that) cheered.

"No! No, no, that's what they _want_ us to do!" Davey shouted above the noise. "If we get violent, it's just playing into their hands!"

"Hey, look, they're gonna be playin' wit my hands, all right?!" Sean replied. "'Cuz it ain't what they say, it's what _we_ say. And nobody ain't gonna listen to us unless we _make_ 'em!"

The crowd hollered.

"You got no brains!" Jack yelled. "Why're we startin' to fight each other?! It's just what the big shots wanna see! That we're street trash! Street rats wit no brains! No respect for not'in', includin' ourselves!"

"So here's how it is!" I jumped in. "If we don't act togetha, then we're nothin'! If we don't stick togetha, we're nothin'! And if we can't even trust each otha, then we're nothin'!"

"Tell 'em, Stray!" Blink yelled.

"So what's it gonna be?" Jack asked.

"We're wit you, Jack," Race said. The others voiced their agreement.

"So whadda you say, Spot?" I crossed my arms at my brother. He put on a mask of thoughtfulness.

"I say, that what you say..." He stood right in front of me, nose-to-nose. Then his face broke out into a grin. "Is what I say."

Everyone cheered at the top of their lungs. I gave Sean a quick hug (which was more meaningful than a spit-shake, in my opinion), then Jack grabbed Davey's and my hands, and I grabbed Sean's, and we thrust them into the air.

The curtains opened behind us and Medda walked out. The crowd cheered even louder if possible.

"High times, hard times, sometimes the living is sweet," Medda sang, everyone joining in. "And sometimes there's nothing to eat, but I always lands on my feet. So when there's dry times, I wait for high times and then I put on my best and I stick out my chest, and I'm off to the races again!"

Sean slung his arm around my shoulders. I laughed.

"Hello, newsies!" Medda called with a grin. "What's new?"

We all cheered, and Medda continued singing. Then all of a sudden, Davey was jumping up on stage and grabbing Jack's shirt and shouting something. I looked around and jumped up as well.

Snyder the Spider blew his whistle, and then all hell broke loose.


	8. Meet Rosey

**_Racetrack's Point of View_**  
Once Medda had finished singing, the rally had turned into a disaster. Snyder had shown up with the Bulls, and arrested Jack, and was ready to charge the rest of us too.

"Jack's gonna end up back in that hellhole," Stray grumbled, a bad looking bruise forming on his eye and a nasty busted lip. Spot wrapped an arm around him, looping his signature key necklace around Stray's neck. We were waiting for the judge to show up. I massaged my bruised cheek, ruffling Stray's hair.

"All rise, all rise! Court is now in session! Judge E. A. Monahan presiding!"

"Are any of ya represented by counsel?" Judge Monahan asked us. We exchanged looks.

"What's counsel?" somebody whispered.

"No? Good, good. That'll move things along considerably."

"'Ey, Your Honor, I object," Spot said.

"On what grounds?" Judge Monahan raised an eyebrow.

"On the grounds of Brooklyn." Spot smirked. I stifled my laughter in Stray's shoulder. Stray managed a smile, albeit an angry one, and the rest of the newsies laughed as well.

Monahan banged his gavel. "I fine each of you $5 or two weeks confinement in the House of Refuge."

The laughter stopped instantly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I argued. "Hey, we ain't got 5 bucks. We don't even got 5 cents. Hey, Your Honor, how 'bout I roll ya for it? Double or nothin'."

The newsies chuckled again. Monahan banged his gavel once more.

"All right, move along, move along."

"Your Honor!" Denton called. "I'll pay the fines--all of 'em."

He, Les and Davey made their way over to us.

"Hey, fellas, you all right?" Davey asked. "Where's--where's Jack?"

"Look, we gotta meet at the restaurant. Everybody. We have to talk," Denton said. Stray's frown deepened.

"What's goin' on--?"

Monahan banged that dumb hammer. "Pay the clerk, move it along."

Suddenly, Jack walked in in handcuffs.

"Hey, fellas." He gave us a smile.

"Hey, Cowboy," I called. "Nice shiner."

Spot laughed beside me, and Stray hooked an arm around both of our necks.

"Pay the clerk, move it along."

"Jack's fine," I assured Stray. The last thing I heard was Jack telling Denton,

"I guess we made all the papes this time."

-

Davey joined us in the diner after a while, an upset look on his face. He flipped through a pape angrily, pacing the floor. I handed my cigar to Stray, who took a few puffs. Then Denton came in.

"Thanks for bailin' us out." Mush gave him a smile.

"My pleasure," Denton replied.

"Why didn't _The Sun_ print the story?" Davey asked immediately.

"'Cuz it never happened," Denton replied, his smile disappearing.

"Whaddya mean it nevah happened? You were there!" Stray exclaimed. The rest of the newsies joined in, voicing the same thought.

"I tell you, if it's not in the papers, it never happened. The owners decreed that it not be in the papers, therefore..." Denton sighed. "Anyway, I, uh, came to tell you fellas goodbye."

"What--what happened?" David stepped forward. "Did you get fired or something?"

"No, I got reassigned--back to my old job as _The Sun's_ ace war correspondent. They want me to leave right away. The owner thinks that I should only cover the really important stories, so..."

Denton pretended to be excited about it, but at Davey's stricken face, he dropped the act.

"Yep. Well, wish me luck, fellas, at least half of what I wish for you."

Davey walked away from the reporter, looking just as depressed as when he walked in. He leant against a post, not meeting Denton's eyes.

"They don't always fire you, David. I would be blackballed from every paper in the country. Hey." Denton pulled on Davey's arm. He turned around with that look on his face that could make anybody instantly feel horrible. "I'm a newspaper man. I have to have a paper to write for."

Davey didn't say anything, just blinked absently.

"This..." Denton pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, "is the story I wrote about the rally, and I want you to read it at least."

He put it in Davey's hand. Then he turned, paid for our lunch, and left.

Davey crumpled the article up in his hand, throwing it onto the table.

"We get Jack outta the Refuge _tonight_ ," he said. "And from now on, we trust _no one_ but the newsies."

The bell above the door sounded again, and a few of us looked up, as if hoping Denton was coming back in and telling us he was just pulling our legs.

But what I saw instead lifted my spirits, even if just the tiniest bit.

"Rosey!" Mush called with a grin. The brunet boy gave us a sheepish smile.

"Hey, guys."

I rushed over and gave him a hug. "Good to see you's on your feet again, Rosey."

I ruffled his hair. He laughed, a light blush dusting across his freckled face. Suddenly, I realized why I was so set on helping Stray that night.

"Who's this?" David asked, trying to keep his voice level.

"Davey, this is my adopted kid brotha Callahan, but we calls him Rosey." I slapped the kid on the back. "Rosey, this is our new friend Davey, and his little brotha Les. And that right there's Stray."

"Hi." Rosey waved with a smile. Then he noticed the solemn looks on the newsies' faces. "Is... is somethin' wrong? And where's Jack?"

We all shifted, looking away. I threw my arm around his shoulders.

"We had a newsie rally for the strike, and well..." I sighed.

"Jack got arrested and taken back to the Refuge," Blink finished my thought.

"But we're gonna break him out," Stray said confidently.


	9. You're a Liar

**_Davey's Point of View_**  
"Jack! Come on! Come on! Run!" I called, holding the pin of the carriage in my hand so he knew the horses wouldn't be after him. He slid down the banister and chased after me.

"After him!" Snyder yelled.

"Hurry up!" I said. We ran all the way to a back alleyway, when I realized Jack had slowed down considerably. "C'mon, keep runnin'!"

"You shouldn't'a done this, Dave!" he yelled. "They could put you in jail!"

"I don't care," I told him.

"C'mere." He shoved me against the brick wall of the alley. "What about your family? What happens to them if you go in jail? You don't not'in' about jail."

_You shouldn't either!_ I wanted to scream. _Just run! Please!_

"Now, thanks for whatchu done, but you get outta here."

He went to push me again, but I shoved his hand away.

"I don't understand." I stared at him.

"I don't either, but just get outta here!" Jack yelled. He shoved me away, to make me run. I worried my bottom lip, then grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward me, kissing him with everything I had, all of the bottled up emotions that were whirring around inside my head. Jack tensed, but kissed back, then gently pushed me away.

"Run," he whispered. I glared at him.

"No!"

"Go!"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned away, kicking my feet as I left.

-

"Stop _The World_! No more papes! Stop _The World_! No more papes!" the newsies chanted over and over.

The police lined up in front of us so we couldn't get through.

Everyone started fighting and yelling.

"Hey! Hey, stop it! Cheese it! Race! Race, Stray, please, help me, I need some help!"

"All right! I ain't deaf!" Race yelled. He, Spot, Stray and I broke up the fights.

"Hey, hey, hey, break it up," Stray said. "Hey, hey, Race. Race, come 'ere."

"What?"

I turned too.

"Tell me I'm just seein' t'ings, just-just tell me I'm seein' t'ings."

Jack was walking out with Weasel, dressed in new clothes, holding a bundle of papes.

"No, you ain't seein' things, that's Jack. What's he doin'?"

"But he's dressed like a scabber," Rosey said incredulously.

"Jack," Mush called. "Jack, look at me, will ya? Come on, it's me, Mush! C'mon, what're ya doin', Jack?"

"Jack!" Rosey exclaimed. "Jack, whaddya think you're doin'?!"

"Where'd he get them clothes?!" Boots yelled.

"Mr. Pulitzer picked 'em out hisself." Weasel grinned. "A special gift to a special new employee."

"What?!" Stray exclaimed.

"He sold us out!" Spot yelled.

"Look at 'im, in his suit. Ya bum! I'll soak ya! Ya fink!" Race yelled.

"Enough! Lemme get my hands dirty!" Spot jumped up, but the Bulls stopped him. "C'mere, ya dirty rotten scabber!"

Everyone was suddenly clamoring, and the noise was practically deafening, but I took a deep breath and walked to the front of the crowd.

"I'll murder ya!" Spot screamed as the newsies dragged him to the back. "Traitor!"

"Oh, you wanna talk to 'im?" Weasel gave me a mock smile. "C'mon, c'mon. Sure. Go right ahead."

The Bulls let me through and I walked up to Jack, then led him over to the side.

"So this is why you didn't escape last night?" I asked him, emotion making my voice crack.

"Yeah." Jack shrugged.

"You're a liar." I took a breath. "You lied about everything! You lied about your father bein' out west, because he's not out west! You didn't even tell me your real name!"

"So? Whaddya wanna do about it, Dave?" Jack asked. I glared at him. I thought about that kiss in the alley, I thought about all the excuses we made to touch each other, all the moments on the rooftop alone, all the times he said no to Sarah to hang out with me.

"Did all of it mean nothing to you?" My voice went quiet. I could barely hear myself. I saw Jack visibly swallow. "Was I just some front?"

"Dave, you know that ain't true," Jack whispered.

"I don't understand you!" I exclaimed. He balled his fists.

"Oh, so lemme spell it out for ya. You see, I ain't got nobody tuckin' me in at night--like you. It's just me, I gotta look out for myself, all right?"

"Ya had the newsies," I told him.

"Oh, what did bein' a newsie ever give me, but a dime a day and a few black eyes."

Stray and Rosey, who I could tell were listening, both gasped and went stiff. I knew Jack noticed, but he tried to not let it show.

"You know, I can't afford to be a kid no more, Dave. For the first time in my life, I got money in my pockets, _real_ money. _Money_ , you understand?! I got more on the way, and as soon as I collect, I'm gone, I'm away, all right?!"

"Well, that's good!" I yelled, my voice cracking again. "That's good, because we don't need you! We--don't-- _need you_! 'Cuz all those words you said? Those were _mine_."

"Yeah, but you never had the guts to put 'em across yourself, did ya?"

For some reason, I got the idea that he was trying to egg me on, get me to lead the newsies. I swallowed again. _Don't do this to me, Jack._

"I do now."

I walked away, then paused and turned back around.

"Whassa matta?" Jack asked. "There a problem?"

I went to rush him, but two Bulls and Weasel caught my arms.

"Maybe--maybe you'd like a new suit of your own, huh?" Weasel grinned at me.

"Never!" I yelled.

"Get outta here, get outta here!"

I was shoved back into the throng of newsies. The police surrounded Jack and ushered him through us.

"Seize the day, huh, Jack?" Race called.

"He's foolin' 'em," Les said. "He's foolin' 'em so he can spy on 'em. Yeah, that's it. He's foolin' 'em."

Race sighed and I put my arm around Les.

"Yeah, he's spyin' on 'em, kid," Stray said. Rosey kept his eyes glued to the cobblestones.

"He's spyin' on 'em," Les insisted.


	10. We Got 'Em Cowboy!

**_Rosey's Point of View_**  
"I can't believe this." I sighed, putting my head in my hands. Stray wrapped an arm around me. Race stood on my other side, tapping his cigar restlessly.

"There's gotta be a reason, though, right?" Stray asked. "He wouldn't just betray us at the drop of a hat like that, would he?"

"Jack Kelly would do anythin' to save his own skin," Race said bitterly.

"I don't think so, Race," Spot said. In all honesty, Stray being his brother was the least shocking thing all day. "You seen the way Jackie-boy and Walkin' Mouth look at each other?"

"How d'ya mean?" I frowned.

"They's always touchin' more than they need ta, or stealing little looks when they thinks we ain't lookin'. I think that if Pulitzer threatened to hurt Mouth--or any of us, in all fairness--Jack would sacrifice hisself to keep us safe."

Stray, Race and I stared at Spot. Then I laughed--I actually laughed.

"Jack Kelly, the ladies' man, fallin' for reclusive nerd David Jacobs."

Stray and Race joined in on the joke, and eventually Spot as well.

"Wha's so funny?" Mush asked, sitting down beside me.

"Nothin'." Race shook his head. "Just some dumb joke."

"Boys!" Blink came running in. "Boys! Jack's back! He, Denton, Davey and Les are printing our own pape for the sweatshop kids! C'mon!"

-

"You get all your papes out?" Stray asked me. I nodded.

"Those sweatshop kids--they're really listenin' to us?" I asked. Stray gave me a grin and ruffled my hair.

"So when're the others comin'?" Mush asked.

"They ain't comin'." Jack sighed. "It ain't nobody but us."

"C'mon."

"Have hope, Jack."

"When the circulation bell starts ringin', will we hear it?" Les said.

"Nah." Race pushed Les' hat over his eyes. "What if the Delanceys come out swingin'? Will we hear it?"

"No!"

"Atta boy." Race gave Les a side-hug. All of a sudden, we heard a crowd of thousands of people. "Whoa!"

"When ya got a million voices singin', who can hear a lousy whistle blow?!" they shouted. A parade of child workers stormed the streets of Manhattan. "And the world will know!"

"Whoo!" I jumped onto Stray's back. Race ruffled our hair. We all cheered.

"Brooklyn!" Spot barked, leading his newsies into the square.

"And the world will feel the fire and finally know!" we all yelled.

"Yeah!" Blink and Mush shouted. Jack hoisted Les up onto his shoulders.

"Strike! Strike! Strike!" everyone chanted.

"Dear me!" Race gave Jack a smirk and pointed toward the doors of Pulitzer's building. Seitz was standing there. "What have we here?"

Jack grabbed Davey and headed in, leaving Les with Sarah.

"He's gotta listen now!" Stray exclaimed, grinning. He turned his head and kissed my cheek when no one was watching. "Boy, am I glad to be a newsie!"

I turned bright red and I buried my face in Stray's shoulder. He laughed.

"That why they call ya Rosey?"

I nodded, not looking up. He grinned, kissing my cheek a second time.

"It ain't ovuh yet, fellas," Race said. Mush had his arms around him and Blink.

A few minutes later, the gates opened again.

"Hey, fellas, they're over 'ere!" Spot yelled. Jack and Davey emerged. Jack leant down, whispering something in Les' ear, hoisting the kid up on his shoulders again.

"We beat 'im!" Jack yelled. The cheers and shouts were deafening, Stray and I included. Then a police carriage pulled up, and Snyder was there.

"Jack! Jack, it's the Bulls! It's the Bulls, let me down!" Les exclaimed.

"Go!" someone called.

"Jack, get down!" Race shoved Jack's head lower.

"Jack!" Denton grabbed the blond's arms. "It's over!"

"Let 'im go!" Race exclaimed.

"No, no, no!" Denton said. "You don't have to run! Not anymore. Not from the likes a' him. C'mon, c'mon."

Denton encouraged Jack to walk forward, who was nervous, though he'd never admit it.

The Bulls opened the back door, and the kids from the Refuge jumped out, and Crutchy was with them!

"Crutchy!" I called. The Bulls ushered Snyder into the cart, but Crutchy stopped them. He said something to the Warden, and then slammed the door shut on him. We all cheered as Crutchy made his way over to us.

"You won't be seein' much a' him anymore. Say goodbye, Warden," Denton said.

"Goodbye, Warden!" we all yelled.

"Aw, Jack, ya oughta seen it! He comes stormin' inta the Refuge waving his walkin' stick like a sword, and he's leadin' this army a' lawyers and cops--"

"Who comes walkin' in?" Jack asked, interrupting Crutchy.

"Y'know, your friend." He pointed across the crowd. "Him! Teddy Roosevelt!"

We looked and saw the Governor himself, shaking hands with the kids and grinning. Our jaws went slack, and Jack smiled.

"The Governor's very glad you brought this problem to his attention," Denton told us. "I said you might need a lift somewhere, he's glad to oblige. Anywhere you want. And this time, you ride inside."

"So, uh, could he drop me at the train yards?" Jack asked. We all paused and looked at him funny.

"Train yards?" Dutchy frowned.

"What?" I turned to look at Stray who merely shrugged sadly.

"Yeah, if that's what you want," Denton replied. Jack nodded, and Denton led him to Roosevelt's carriage. We cheered as he left, but Les was crying, and Davey looked pretty heartbroken. I laced my fingers through Stray's as the circulation bell started ringing.

"Try Bottle Alley or the harbor," Mush said.

"Try Central Park, it's guaranteed," Race continued.

"Try any banker, bum or barber." Crutchy smiled sadly.

"They almost all knows how ta read." Blink nodded.

"Summer stinks," Boots said.

"And winter's waitin'," Skittery added.

"Welcome to New York!" we all chimed in. "Boy, ain't nature fascinatin' when you's gotta walk?"

We lined up at the distribution center; Davey was first in line. He twirled a fifty-cent piece in his hand, then slammed it onto the desk.

"Hundred papes," he said.

"Atta boy, Davey," Race said. Mush shook the brunet's shoulder with a grin. Then all of a sudden the crowd was cheering again, and we turned to see Roosevelt's carriage coming back, with Jack still inside it.

We shouted, rushing to meet him. He met Davey's eyes from across the crowd, then came down from the carriage.

"So how's the headline today?" he asked Davey, who laughed and smiled.

"Headlines don't sell papes," Davey said, putting on his hat. "Newsies sell papes."

I laughed, because I knew that was what Jack told all the new guys. Jack grinned.

"C'mere, Davey!"

Davey walked down the steps, handed his papes to Crutchy and engulfed Jack in a hug. Davey whispered something, and Jack whispered something back, and Davey grinned, pulling away. Sarah pushed her way towards us, and Jack kissed her cheek, throwing his arm around her, but she didn't see him holding hands with Davey.

Spot was leaving with Roosevelt as we walked through the gates.

"Bye, Seanny-boy!" Stray yelled.

"Go back ta Brooklyn!" Jack added.

"It's a fine life, carryin' the banner!" half the 'Hattan newsies shouted, while the other half yelled,

"We got 'em, Cowboy!"

"It's a fine life, carryin' the banner!"

"You showed 'em how, boy!"

"It's a fine life, carryin' the banner!"

"We got 'em, Cowboy!"

"It's a fine life, carryin' the banner!"

"You showed 'em how, boy!"

"It's a fine life, carryin' the banner!"

"Extry, extry!" someone called. The crowd cheered.

Race ruffled Stray's and my hair.

"Seize the day," Stray said. I grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> All characters except OCs and most of the dialogue and scenes in this story belong to Disney.


End file.
